Many households currently include showers. When a shower is installed, the shower drain must be tightened at the bottom of the shower to form a watertight seal. The sealing of the shower drain is typically accomplished by the use of plumber's putty and/or another sealant that is applied to the rim of the shower drain, and the shower drain is then placed in the existing hole of the shower stall. The body of the shower drain includes male threads. A sealing ring, typically formed of brass, having female threads is then threaded onto the drain body and then tightened against the bottom of the shower so as to form the watertight seal.
The sealing ring typically includes small tabs (usually four or more) that enable the installer to grip the ring so that the sealing ring can be tightened on the body of the drain. The tightening procedure is typically accomplished with a set of pliers. The base of the shower stall is commonly formed of a wood frame that includes attached fiberglass. The wooden frame often extends out past the drain, thereby interfering with easy access to the sealing ring. As such, the tightening of the sealing ring on the body of the drain to form a watertight seal can be very difficult and time consuming. In addition, the limited and/or obstructed access to the sealing ring can make it difficult to properly tighten the sealing ring on the body of the drain, thereby potentially resulting in an improper seal being formed.
Strainers are also commonly used with sink and shower drains. These strainers are commonly formed of metal or plastic and commonly include a hexagonal shaped nut that is used to seal the strainer to a sink or shower. These hexagonal nuts are similar in size to the sealing rings. Similar problems exist for these hexagonal shaped nut as with the sealing rings when attempting to tighten the hexagonal shaped nut when access to the hexagonal shaped nut is limited and/or obstructed.
In view of the current state of the art of plumbing tools, there is a demand for a wrench that can be used to more easily and conveniently access and tighten a strainer and/or a sealing ring of a drain.